1. Field of the Invention
The dash bridge and hook rescue device is a two piece emergency rescue tool utilized in the extraction of accident victims from underneath a dashboard and steering column as the result of an automobile accident where severe injuries are incurred by the victim. The rescue device is used to expedite the lifting and removal of the steering column and dashboard using existing winches, power spreaders or extension ram devices, either manual, air or hydraulic powered, to engage the hook attached below the steering column and lift it from the dash bridge spanning from the hood of the car to the roof of the car, bridging the windshield through which the hook extends, and lifting the steering wheel in a vertical direction off the lap and chest of the victim. Unrestricted access to the victim from the passenger compartment of the vehicle and transfer to emergency transport vehicles for critical care is expedited over other existing emergency extraction device techniques.
2. Description of Prior Art
The following United States patents are identified and disclosed herein. Several devices are disclosed relating to emergency rescue tools and steering column lifting device requiring the use of chains or devices used to cut windshields. However, none of them involve the same elements or relationship of component elements defined by the present dash bridge and hook rescue device.
The first prior art device, U.S. Pat. No. 3,982,014 to Smith, discloses a very large frame which either fits over or under an entire automobile which has winches attached to two ends to pull a collapsed automobile apart. U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,029 to Bertino discloses a hood bridge which allows for the placement of two chains, one end having a pulley or a fulcrum over which the chain is allowed to pull in a perpendicular direction, the two chains placed within the device holding two chains and forcing them together to lift the steering column, which has been wrapped with one piece of the chain and hooked around the column. A fluid operated door opening device, including a pair of hydraulic piston rams used to pry open a door or other structure, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,304 to Hill.
A windshield saw using compressed air is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,230 to Flaherty, which allows for a rescue worker to cut through automobile glass to gain access to the occupant of the vehicle during an emergency rescue situation. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,260 to Gehron a T-bar with an extending levered arm is placed on the hood of a damaged vehicle, after which a chain winch is attached to the T-bar which has been anchored to the front of the vehicle, and a second chain is attached to the levered arm and the steering column, the chain winch forcing the levered arm towards the front of the vehicle, lifting the steering column by the chain wrapped around the steering column. A very similar device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,318,144 to Keeble, except that a passenger side air bag shredder is included on the T-bar to puncture any passenger side air bag which might deploy during rescue operations.
All the device disclosed above, including Keeble, Gehron, and Bertino, do address the issue of raising a steering column, but all of them require gaining access to the passenger compartment and then attempting to wrap a chain around a steering column that is blocked by the very victim they are trying to extricate from the vehicle (FIG. 1). They do not provide a means to punch a hole in the windshield, nor to cut the windshield glass away from the working area. They also require anchoring the device to the front of the vehicle, which may be damaged to a point in a head-on collision, the front of the vehicle generally lacking enough stability to be used as a reliable anchor.
The current device requires no access to the passenger compartment to engage the steering wheel, since access is gained through the windshield wherein the hook engages the underside of the steering wheel by mere insertion and lifting of the hook, while the bridge is placed on the roof and hood of the car with the hook being lifted straight up by some forced means, the bridge acting as a stable base for the applied lifting force. The hook is also used to pierce the windshield, rip an opening in the windshield and lift the steering column, while also available for use as a prying mechanism for metal or other damaged items on an automobile after a collision.